China Condemns G-7 ‘Interference,’ ‘Smears’ on Human Rights

(Bloomberg) --

China urged the Group of Seven nations to stop meddling in its affairs, after the bloc of developed economies rebuked it over a range of issues, from human rights practices to its handling of Taiwan.

“We urge the relevant countries to face up to their own domestic problems, to correct their selfish behaviors in anti-epidemic efforts and stop stretching the concept of national security,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Thursday during a regular press briefing in Beijing. “They should stop disregarding international rules, interfering in China’s affairs and smearing China. These attempts will never succeed.”

China has grown increasingly forceful under President Xi Jinping in its responses to foreign criticism, complaining it amounts to meddling in its affairs. Earlier, China said it was halting an economic dialogue with Australia and its diplomats blasted New Zealand because lawmakers there declared human rights abuses are occurring in China’s western Xinjiang region.

A statement released after a meeting of G-7 ministers urged China “to participate constructively in the rules-based international system.” It criticized the Asian nation’s treatment of ethnic and religious groups in Xinjiang and Tibet, and the existence of a large network of “political re-education” camps.

The G-7 statement also backed Taiwan’s “meaningful participation in World Health Organization forums.”

G-7 Lists the Many Ways That It’s Deeply Unhappy With China

That tone sets the stage for when leaders meet in June in the U.K., where U.S. President Joe Biden will make his G-7 debut. Part of his efforts will be aimed at convincing allies to take a firmer stance against China.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.